New Delhi: A mild earthquake struck Delhi-NCR early this morning. According to the Richter scale, the quake measured 2.9 in magnitude, with its epicentre located in the North district of the national capital.
Where did the earthquake occur?
According to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the earthquake tremor was reported at 4:14 am and it occurred at the latitude of 28.721 N and longitude of 76.957 E with a depth of 8 kilometers.
It is worth mentioning that even an earthquake of a very shallow depth below the ground surface, despite a low magnitude, causes shaking of the surface when there is sufficient energy release. The quake measured 2.9 which falls in mild or moderate category, and it typically doesn’t result in any significant damage.
What about previous tremors?
Earlier, back in June, an earthquake had been registered in Delhi. On the evening of June 27, tremors were experienced across Delhi-NCR when an earthquake measuring 6.2 on Richter scale hit Afghanistan and shook north Indian regions as well.
Delhi and areas in its vicinity are located in the ‘Zone 4’ for seismic activities and face minor to moderate level earthquakes quite often.
Why do earthquakes happen?
Our Earth’s surface is divided into pieces called tectonic plates, which move slowly and ‘float’ above the surface layer beneath it. These moving bits often grind against or ride over each other. When pressure builds between these plates, rocks snap or slip, causing them to push against each other, eventually sending the stored energy through seismic waves that causes the ground to shake: this phenomenon of shaking of the ground is called an earthquake.
